BC @ Hamilton preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 13, 2016 ) Hamilton 38, BC Lions 45

The BC Lions look to conclude their Eastern road swing with their third straight win when they tangle with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Saturday. The Lions came from behind to beat the Toronto Argonauts 28-15 on June 30 before downing the Montreal Alouettes 23-16 in Week 3, to notch their eighth consecutive win against East Division opponents, and they hope to continue their dominance by taming the Tiger-Cats for the fourth straight time.

BC has averaged 37.7 points over the last three meetings with Hamilton and looks for some more offensive fireworks against the Tiger-Cats' mistake-prone secondary. Hamilton is left to pick up the pieces following a disappointing 37-20 setback to the Saskatchewan Roughriders. The Tiger-Cats have dropped seven of their last eight regular-season games dating back to last year and they hope to find a cure for an ailing offence that has scored just one touchdown over eight quarters while averaging a CFL-low 237 yards per game. "It starts with me so I have to play better and if the quarterback plays better you win more games," Hamilton quarterback Zach Collaros told reporters. "If you're not executing you're not going to win ball games and I don't care what level you're at you're just not going to win."

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, TSN, RDS

ABOUT THE LIONS (2-1): Linebacker Solomon Elimimian was named one of the CFL's Top Performers of the Week after making 15 tackles in the win against Montreal, which was one shy of equaling the single-game league record set by Reggie Hunt in 2003. "Solomon is a great player and when your best guys come to work everyday then you've got a great situation," BC coach Wally Buono told reporters. "He knows it's his show and he's embraced the role." Running back Jeremiah Johnson accounted for 102 yards and two touchdowns against the Alouettes to extend his TD streak to three games.

ABOUT THE TIGER-CATS (0-2): Defensive back Will Hill was handed a one-game suspension for grabbing an official by the jersey and fined an undisclosed amount for punching an opposing player on the same play during the third quarter of the loss to Saskatchewan. Offensive lineman Mike Filer limped off the field against the Roughriders and did not practice early in the week while linebacker Simoni Lawrence took some reps with the defence after missing a significant portion of last week's loss with a lower-body injury. Defensive back Abdul Kanneh, who was one of Hamilton's high-profile free-agent signings in the offseason, could make his debut after missing the first two games due to injury.

EXTRA POINTS

1. The Tiger-Cats have dropped eight of their last 10 home openers.

2. Johnson leads the CFL in rushing touchdowns (three) and Elimimian tops the league in tackles (29).

3. Hamilton has lost six consecutive games, including playoffs, to West Division foes.

PREDICTION: Lions 28, Tiger-Cats 24